Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
From top to bottom:
Top left: Massachusetts Gov. Patrick (left) receives the MBF Great Friend of Justice Award from MBF President Joseph P.J. Vrabel.
Top right: (left to right) MBA President-elect Denise Squillante; Hon. Patricia Dunbar; Barbara M. Hyland.
From left to right: MBA At-Large Delegate and Education Committee Co-Chair Alan J. Klevan; MBA Acting Executive Director and General Counsel Martin W. Healy; Patrick's Chief Legal Counsel William “Mo” Cowan; MBF Holmes Fellow Francis Ford.
Some members of the 2010 MBF Board of Trustees with MBF Executive Director Elizabeth M. Lynch (back row, third from right).
Bottom left: (left to right) MBA Vice President Richard P. Campbell; MBA Past President David W. White Jr.; MBF Foundation Fellow Lisa Arrowood; MBA Secretary Jeffrey N. Catalano; Julie Schreiner-Oldham.
Bottom right: (left to right) MBA Immediate Past President Edward W. McIntyre; MBA Treasurer Robert L. Holloway Jr.; MBA At-Large Delegate and Education Committee Co-Chair Alan J. Klevan.
Photos by Jeff Thiebauth.
Gov. Patrick encourages efforts to assist those in need at MBF’s 45th Anniversary Gala Dinner
At the 45th Anniversary Gala Dinner of the
Massachusetts Bar Foundation on Jan. 14, Gov. Deval Patrick urged
the nearly 250 supporters on hand at Boston's Colonnade Hotel to
continue helping the state's neediest citizens obtain access to
justice.
Newly elected MBF President Joseph P.J. Vrabel commended Patrick's
commitment to public service and protection of civil rights and
legal aid funding in honoring him with the MBF Great Friend of
Justice Award.
"We recognize this governor for doing what he can to protect our
justice system," Vrabel said.
Patrick acknowledged the state's dire economic situation, pledging
that he would keep the needs of the court system in mind during the
budget process and do what he could to minimize cuts.
"We are in the worst economic downturn in 80 years, and it has
hurt a lot of people," he said. "I have felt, as I bet you do, that
so many people are still being left behind, that there is so much
unmet need."
Patrick extolled the work of the MBF in helping provide access
to justice to the needy. On the eve of Martin Luther King weekend,
he urged the audience to remember the slain civil rights leader's
example and serve others.
"Service is what we must all be about," Patrick said. "It seems
important to me that we come back to that sense of service, because
service is power."
Noting that the aggregate effort of many individuals can make a
significant difference, Patrick said, "State government has to do
all it can, but we as individuals all have to do what we
can."
Vrabel noted that "last year was an extraordinarily difficult
year," but the foundation still distributed $5 million to 107
nonprofit organizations, in part by drawing nearly $2.5 million out
of its stabilization fund to offset the decrease in monies supplied
by the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Grants
Program.
Vrabel said the MBF will probably need to dip into its savings
again this year to provide a consistent level of funding.
"We are prepared to do so to keep the level of our grants as high
as possible," he told the audience. "Please continue to stand with
us. Please continue to be generous in any way you can - with your
time and expertise, with your resources. There are so many in need,
and as lawyers, we know how important access to justice is and that
each one of us can play a valuable role in it."
With burgeoning demand and a shrinking pool of funds, MBF
Immediate Past President Laurence M. Johnson asked, "Where do we go
from here?" One plan, he said, is to broaden the MBF Fellowship
Program with three programs: The President's Circle Program,
Justice Circle for Annual Giving, and the Law Firm Partner
Program.
Johnson said he hoped that Massachusetts lawyers would continue a
proud tradition of generosity.
"The response of the bar to the Massachusetts Bar Foundation over
the 45 years since its founding has been extraordinary," he
said.
After Patrick spoke, the MBF premiered a 12-minute video
highlighting some of the people who have been helped by
organizations that receive MBF funds. The MBF will distribute the
video to advocacy groups, local bar associations and law firms, as
well as post it on its Web site. The MBF hopes to increase
understanding of its mission and demonstrate the ways that funds
can make a significant difference in people's lives.
"We were so thrilled that Legal Talk Network donated their time
and expertise to produce this video for us," said MBF Executive
Director Elizabeth Lynch. "It provides wonderful examples of the
work the MBF supports, and demonstrates the important role the
legal community plays in our efforts."
After the event, Vrabel said the severe recession had made the
perennial challenge of providing access to justice that much more
difficult.
"So many more people are in need," he said. "The difficult part of
the economy is that everybody expects us to cut back, and we just
can't. The sad part is that every year, more and more people need
our help."